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engineersoldierwrote:

This should not be PR game or a numbers game. They not only need to do It correctly, but more importantly, need to correctly design and construct these roads so they last close to their design life .

on January 9,2013 | 12:43PM

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Hapa_Haole_Boywrote:

By design life, I take it you mean thousands of years, like the roads built by the Roman Empire? The roads in our state a truly pathetic...

on January 9,2013 | 12:53PM

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OldDiverwrote:

This was done of course to emphasize Mayor Caldwell's commitment on keeping his campaign promise. By nature he is a hands on guys who enjoys getting his hands dirty. I expect to see the Mayor out and about acting like the Mayor of a small town but also tackling the problems of a large city.

on January 9,2013 | 01:30PM

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HonoluluHawaiiwrote:

Finally u talk.

on January 9,2013 | 02:11PM

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MKNwrote:

@OldDiver: I must say I give Caldwell credit. You would never have seen Harris, Mufi, or Carlisle out with the actual truck in jeans and a t-shirt patching potholes! Maybe there's some hope for the city during the next 8 years if rail doesn't bankrupt us. Let's pray that it never happens. :)

on January 9,2013 | 02:13PM

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falsewrote:

Filling a pot hole? I'd be more impress if he was sitting up on one of those paving machines.

on January 9,2013 | 02:43PM

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Imagenwrote:

Only time will tell. I truly hope that you are correct OD.

on January 9,2013 | 03:14PM

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localguywrote:

OldDiver completely misses the point. Shoveling asphalt into a pothole and tamping it down is not repairing the pothole. At most it is a temporary band aid approach, used by clueless bureaucrats and out own DOT to make it look like they are doing work. To fix the pothole you have to go to the root of the problem, shoveling asphalt isn't it. Yes, Kirk is doing exactly what PRP wants him to do, look busy while actually shoveling make work projects to union members while actually wasting tax payer's money. Twice nothing is still nothing. How soon do we get a new mayor?

on January 9,2013 | 06:32PM

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lynnhwrote:

This was nothing more than a PR stunt, and if you think anything other you need to wake up. It won't be loing until he does exactly what he did the last time he was a fill in mayor....nothing!

on January 9,2013 | 11:45PM

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Kapcitywrote:

Grace Pacific monopolise the road paving work here in oahu. Why do you think our roads don't last too long?

on January 9,2013 | 02:38PM

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tigerwarriorwrote:

Finally--the root cause of our paved road woes. Blaming the city for work done by private sector road construction crews is clueless.

on January 9,2013 | 07:42PM

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lynnhwrote:

Though it is true. They have a strangle hold and they are in the pockets of politicians out here.

on January 9,2013 | 11:48PM

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DPKwrote:

engineersoldier: You are right. It seems they are always repairing, buat never fixing.

on January 9,2013 | 04:11PM

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alliewrote:

Photo OP? Don't talk about it. Do it!!!

on January 9,2013 | 12:53PM

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Robynnewrote:

hey boo give the man a chance and see what he can do!!!!

on January 9,2013 | 01:47PM

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lynnhwrote:

Umm, he already had a chance and did nothing. Yet, the idiots out here elected him. Or was it rigged? What ever happened to the investigation on the runing out of ballots in Cayatano heavy voting areas? Swept under the rug!

on January 9,2013 | 11:50PM

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kawikakoike96819wrote:

Another PR ploy just like MUFI used to do.

on January 9,2013 | 12:54PM

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Bdpapawrote:

Yup, another photo op.

on January 9,2013 | 01:27PM

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loquaciousonewrote:

Jeremy Harris was the PHOTO OP King but he just lost his crown to our new mayor.

on January 9,2013 | 01:54PM

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MKNwrote:

Major difference between the last three mayors and this one is Caldwell went to patch potholes in jeans and a t-shirt. You would never have saw that from any of the other clowns and they would have only done like one or two. From the looks of the photo, it seems like he probably spent the day doing this otherwise he wouldn't have worn actual pothole work clothes.

on January 9,2013 | 02:16PM

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lynnhwrote:

PR stunt and that is all.

on January 9,2013 | 11:51PM

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falsewrote:

There must be a Mayors photo op book 101

on January 9,2013 | 02:45PM

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Wazdatwrote:

YUP what a JOKER

on January 9,2013 | 03:48PM

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dlum003wrote:

Boy, this Caldwell guy sure is a shameless photo opportunist isnt he? Ok ok, I'm sure we're all impressed with your implied hands on approach to Mayorness. Now get back in your office and get the paid DOT guys on the roads now!!!!! ... starting with Meheula Parkway in Mililani. That horrific stretch from Mililani Town Center to the H2 onramps is outright shameful for such an otherwise nicely manicured community! You need a tank to get over all the potholes and root humps. I saw Caldwell signwaving there right in front of a giant pothole! Now get those professional lunch breakers back to work!

on January 9,2013 | 12:58PM

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falsewrote:

Bradda got balls no shame.

on January 9,2013 | 02:46PM

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1coconutwrote:

I agree with you. Meheula from Ham Hwy to H-2 is the worst stretch of major road on Oahu. Its been that way for a long time and is getting worse every rainy day. Patching pot holes on Meheula has made it a patch work of roughness. Please help my truck is taking a beating.

on January 9,2013 | 02:56PM

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Wazdatwrote:

AGREE

on January 9,2013 | 03:49PM

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dlum003wrote:

Just saw him on the news and he has a Fire Fighters shirt on! ... beyond shameless. Does he have on SHOPO bebs too? Maybe tomorrow he'll make an arrest! Or rescue a little kitty cat from a tree and kiss babies. Pretty insulting and all the hooray harry's on this forum are just eating it up. Huuuuurl!

on January 9,2013 | 05:15PM

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ross13moonwrote:

there's some real nasty pukas on the freeways

on January 9,2013 | 01:03PM

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Publicbraddahwrote:

Freeways are a state matter, not city.

on January 9,2013 | 01:10PM

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Robynnewrote:

Freeways are under state jurrisdiction not city

on January 9,2013 | 01:44PM

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loquaciousonewrote:

Don't you think Kirk should fill those during rush hour. That way we can honk our horns in appreciation and every once in a while give him a bump to let him know how much we appreciate him.

on January 9,2013 | 01:55PM

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littleyoboboywrote:

talk about potholes,,,, how about the stretch of the airport viaduct westbound next to radford high school football field. the right lane is about to fall into the drainage ditch !

on January 9,2013 | 01:16PM

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Robynnewrote:

call the state DOT not city

on January 9,2013 | 01:45PM

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Skylerwrote:

If you guys put something inside the danged holes besides black kitty litter, maybe just MAYBE there wouldn't BE any potholes, eh Mayor? Better yet, send someone to the mainland to learn how to properly lay pavement so potholes become rare instead of commonplace.

on January 9,2013 | 01:21PM

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falsewrote:

THanks Skyler finally someone recognizes the need for paving.

on January 9,2013 | 02:47PM

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Wazdatwrote:

YUP its COMMON SENSE

on January 9,2013 | 03:50PM

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kailua1980wrote:

Uh, freeways and most highways, and many major roads, are under the State of Hawaii DOT, just so you can 'comment" to the right agency.
Design and construction? You know how many hurdles the state and city has to jump over to repave a road? When they do, people complain about the traffic delays, noise, whatever. We're terrible...we complain about the pothole or the road, then we complain when it is getting fixed or about how much it will cost.
The state pothole call in number is 536-7852 by the way.

on January 9,2013 | 01:21PM

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HonoluluHawaiiwrote:

Born in 1980 or class of 1980?

on January 9,2013 | 06:00PM

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Bumbywrote:

Keeping track of the Moanalua road by Pearlridge to Pearl City. Repaved in 2012, Let's see how long this road last before cracks and potholes start to emerge. Don't know how good the qulity of the asphalt is but we should be made aware by the contractor how long these repavements will last. Make them accountable for the quality of product and workmanship.

on January 9,2013 | 01:23PM

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Hapa_Haole_Boywrote:

Did you know there's only one plant that makes the asphalt for our roads? Grace Pacific if memory serves me right. So yes it's a monopoly and thus yes it's in their interest to have roads that always need repairs. Messed up huh.....

on January 9,2013 | 01:40PM

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Skylerwrote:

Where do they buy all that kitty litter? Inquiring minds want to know...

on January 9,2013 | 01:45PM

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lowtone123wrote:

We have known for a long time that the quality of asphalt they are using is poor exacerbated by the fact that the repairs are done in less than ideal weather where the asphalt doesn't have time to dry and cure properly. It is cheaper than other types of material. Keeps the city and state workers busy, i.e. job security.

on January 9,2013 | 01:40PM

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falsewrote:

This comment has been deleted.

on January 9,2013 | 01:32PM

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falsewrote:

yeah. Go sign an appropriation for the paving of roads before you approve anymore rail contracts.

on January 9,2013 | 02:49PM

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Wazdatwrote:

AGREE

on January 9,2013 | 03:51PM

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NanakuliBosswrote:

So glad cayetaNO NOt mayor.....braddah would be at McDonalds.

on January 9,2013 | 05:02PM

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HonoluluHawaiiwrote:

Aina Haina branch

on January 9,2013 | 05:59PM

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Denominatorwrote:

We should get rid of position of Mayor and hire another road repair worker. Caldwell is overpaid for his postion of pothole filler.

on January 9,2013 | 01:32PM

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Hapa_Haole_Boywrote:

hehehehe, well said bruddah.

on January 9,2013 | 01:40PM

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alliewrote:

and sistah

on January 9,2013 | 01:53PM

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Waipahunokaoiwrote:

Nothing but a pathetic photo op. just wait a few more months and see what really happens.

on January 9,2013 | 01:44PM

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loquaciousonewrote:

Whoooo Boy! Looks like we have another Jeremy Harris on our hands. Looks like Kirk never saw a camera he didn't like. PHOTO OPS INCORPORATED.

on January 9,2013 | 01:53PM

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kanapuu22wrote:

Well Mr. Mayor -- your intentions are good, but if that's the method you'll be using to fix our pot hole ridden streets -- you're not fixing anything, just delaying the inevitable until the next big rain...........our streets are worse than some Third World countries....

on January 9,2013 | 01:57PM

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svkamahoiwrote:

Well said, kanapuu22. I'd like to know exactly where that pothole is so someone could take another picture of it in a month.

on January 9,2013 | 02:04PM

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Wazdatwrote:

AGREE

on January 9,2013 | 03:51PM

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silvangoldwrote:

yeah but, maybe, just maybe in a 'couple of months' there will be something 'more important' with different photo ops going on while our vehicles/tires/shocks go to "pot"...............auwe

on January 9,2013 | 01:58PM

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Kalaheo1wrote:

I hope this the only thing he takes out of the Mufi playbook.

on January 9,2013 | 02:00PM

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hanoz808wrote:

i submitted a request about 1 hour ago and got a call back. They wanted to make sure it was on a City Road, becuase there are roads that are worked on by the State.....hopefully they fix this huge pot hole outside.

on January 9,2013 | 02:03PM

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HonoluluHawaiiwrote:

The roads got to be repaired right and coordinated with the Board of Water Supply. Simply dumping asphalt into a pothole will not fix the roads. A coordinated effort needs to be led, and done once and only once.

on January 9,2013 | 02:14PM

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Who_Saidwrote:

The problem is the City only fixes the pothole, they gotta start fixing the entire roadway instead...

on January 9,2013 | 02:15PM

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falsewrote:

Here it is folk PR game. For heavens sake the roads need paving. PAVING not band aids.

on January 9,2013 | 02:42PM

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gthwrote:

Have you seen the roads in 'Vegas and/or the other islands (ie Maui and Kona). No pot holes and they have all kinds of weather conditions. Whether its a PR stunt or not, maybe we should look at what kind of tar or whatever you call it that fills the potholes. Evey Mayor has promised us to repair it and our roads are in worse condition now.

on January 9,2013 | 02:50PM

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DPKwrote:

gth: If we can't keep low tech roadways maintained, it will be fun to see how the City keeps up the rail system.

on January 9,2013 | 04:15PM

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HonoluluHawaiiwrote:

I will keep a keen eye on the Caldwell patch, as i can locate it, based on the pic on Gulick Avenue. If it wears out in three months, i shall petition the City Council to impeach Kirk.

on January 9,2013 | 05:48PM

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falsewrote:

Mayor who put you up to this? Managing director, etc. bad idea. You're going to catch a lot of you know what.

on January 9,2013 | 02:52PM

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tasodwrote:

Throwing some asphalt in a hole and smacking it with a shovel (or the tamper that I use on dirt in my yard - as in the photo) doesn't constitute repairing.
Every time it rains or 25 cars drive over it the repair will crumble.
We need true road engineering and contracts that hold the contractor liable for repair.

on January 9,2013 | 02:57PM

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hanabatadayzwrote:

you can see in the picture why pothole patches never last..he is using a hand held tamper..as least use a jumping jack or a machine tamper..it might last longer..for people wondering how much it costs grace pacific to resurface our roads..it costs 1 million dollars for 1 lane 1 mile long..it's very expensive since there is no competition

on January 9,2013 | 03:07PM

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Imagenwrote:

Same ole same ole; SOS different day. $1million here and $another million there and every where else! $5.26 B for a rail system? Do you see the irony of it all? We can't even seem to fix our infrastructure CORRECTLY so the damages do not repeat themselves. AND you all still want these very same people to construct your trolley car system? With the very same asphalt that Gulick Avenue is getting...Ooops sorry my bad; trolley cars do not use asphalt; they use rusting steel - better yet!

on January 9,2013 | 03:24PM

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HonoluluHawaiiwrote:

Not hanabusa days?

on January 9,2013 | 05:50PM

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vernchswrote:

Waht a band-aid solution rather than repaving the roadways. All da money going to the rail dats why.

on January 9,2013 | 03:43PM

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Wazdatwrote:

THAT IS NOT FIXING POTHOLES. its called JOB SECURITY....learn how to pave the roads PROPERLY...

on January 9,2013 | 03:48PM

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Imagenwrote:

There are two sides to every coin; one with the head and the other with a ... On one side, it appears that our mayor is "hands on" and willing to get into the trenches. But the jury is still out on the other side. I would love to believe that Caldwell is a hands-on type of guy and yet I am wondering WHY? He has MANY departments with workers and supervisors to perform these duties, so does this mean that we have a micro-manager here? As far as I'm concerned, if his level of intellect is that of a laborer, then by all means, give him a job that will enhance his capabilities. I for one expect our newly elected paid-for Mayor to be a learned man with the wherewithal to produce measured results in the areas which need attention for simple lacking thereof. Projects such as improved and enhanced infrastructure; i.e. roads, sewers, parks, county facilities and services; all to improve the quality of life for Oahuans and their guests. Very simple tasks, but apparently tasks that escape our community leaders, who are more concerned with lining their own pockets with other people's money...

on January 9,2013 | 03:49PM

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loiowrote:

WAIALAE AVENUE, BETWEEN ST. LOUIS AND BIG CITY DINER. IT'S TERRIBLE, LIKE DRIVING IN A LUNAR ROVER IN A FOURTH WORLD COUNTRY.

on January 9,2013 | 04:04PM

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Kapcitywrote:

damned if you do and damned if you don't...

on January 9,2013 | 04:04PM

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akuman808wrote:

Mayor, for the ridiculous reason you believe filling pot holes is a good fix is why I didn't vote for you because you don't have the guts and political will to do the hard things, bucking unions.. It insures a perpetual job for those city workers who will fill the same holes until they retire. Your obvious promise to the unions who backed you. At least the former mayor repaved the entire stretch of streets like in Pearl City and Aiea.

on January 9,2013 | 04:18PM

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Senior_Researcherwrote:

He's acting like Jeremy Harris, desperate for approval and love. Back to the future, I guess!

on January 9,2013 | 04:18PM

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Mythmanwrote:

Imagine the absurdity of it: here he is with a shovel and some asphalt filling in a hole caused by rain and he is the guy who is going to spend five billion dollars building an elevated rail road to go back and forth along the same path. It just boggles the mind - the real versus the fantastic.

on January 9,2013 | 04:21PM

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64hoowrote:

the picture shows mayor Caldwell filling in a pot hole but it won't last that long. look at the road around the pothole full of cracks if he is only filling that one pothole and then there done expect more potholes to pop up because that cracked road will turn into more potholes.

on January 9,2013 | 04:21PM

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mccwrote:

See how loose that stuff is? They will pat it down and the next rain will wash them away. When are they going to patch them with something that lasts longer?

on January 9,2013 | 04:37PM

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ichibanwrote:

Fix Bingham Street, from the entrance at Punahou until the end at Isenberg. And ban tourist buses and shuttle buses and large trucks from using this street as a shortcut to Waikiki. For one thing it's hazardous and another the road isn't built to take on that kind of weight.

on January 9,2013 | 04:54PM

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HonoluluHawaiiwrote:

Funny how it seems that almost none of Captain Kirk's 54% who voted for him have not said a peep here.

on January 9,2013 | 05:56PM

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mctruckwrote:

It's called, "JOB SECURITY," do a lousy job so they can come back in a few months and do it all over again. They not stupid...public works the world over have the same, M.O. Such a shame.

on January 9,2013 | 06:17PM

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SueHwrote:

LEAVE THE POTHOLES ALONE!!! I'll take them anyday over the half-_ssed patches the City throws at them......The "patches" just add a bunch of loose grave and create a bigger bump on the road, adding to the bomb craters we already have to dodge.

on January 9,2013 | 06:21PM

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Akhmed_PKCwrote:

i agree with most here. filling potholes ain't gonna do it mr mayor!

on January 9,2013 | 06:25PM

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HAJAA1wrote:

LOL. Nothing but band-aid patching. I hope he doesn't run our city that way!

on January 9,2013 | 06:28PM

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localguywrote:

A close look at the picture shows damaged asphalt all around the area being patched. Meaning within a few weeks the pothole will be back. All the damaged area must be removed to correctly fix the problem. This is what the Japanese do, fix the entire problem. They do not shovel patch ,a waste of time and money. Kirk, you need to admit you were posed for this picture, no clue what you were doing, actually looking clueless about how to repair a pothole. Naturally all set up by PRP. Here we go again, another clueless mayor.

on January 9,2013 | 06:35PM

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Kuniarrwrote:

PR or no PR, at least Caldwell is showing he wants to fix potholes.

However the matter of the Bus cutbacks during the administration of Carlisle that was triggered by the diverting of Federal funding for TheBus to Rail construction should be addressed.

Both Rail construction and TheBus should share in the 5307 FTA fund and not exclusively for Rail construction.

on January 9,2013 | 06:53PM

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islandsunwrote:

And not to foget the traffic signals that are way off everwhere.

on January 9,2013 | 08:49PM

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lynnhwrote:

Yeah, that's it! Don't fix it right. Today they started paving a road in Kailua that was not too bad and did not need repaving yet. Directly behind where they are working is saddle road that is a complete nightmare and dangerous. I broke a ball joint three weeks ago on it. They are not repaving it. This is your stupid city and county.

on January 9,2013 | 11:43PM

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lynnhwrote:

Exactly!! This so call repair would never be done by a reputable contractor.

on January 9,2013 | 11:47PM

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poidragonwrote:

Hey Mayor! Quit yur yapping and get the job done already, we have heard enough smak talk outta you, get to work and get er done, or get the heck out!